Chapter 5: New In The Village

Tuesday Midday

The next day, Martin was walking back from the post office at lunchtime when he spied the police vehicle parked beside the road, with a strange man slumped over the steering wheel. It was another mild summer day, the sun glittering off the harbour and gently warming the village streets. Still, it seemed like an odd place to be taking a nap, especially for a policeman on duty.

Martin figured P.C. Mark Mylow must have finished taking his solo honeymoon in Hawaii by now but rumour had it he had gone off to Poland to study plumbing. This new constable didn't look very promising.

"Hello? Hello!" Martin knocked on the vehicle window.

The man sat up, looking confused. "What are you doing?" His voice was slightly muffled behind the closed window.

"Trying to work out if you're dead."

"Well, I'm not. Thanks for asking."

"You looked unconscious."

"I was thinking," the man replied.

Martin was sceptical. "With your eyes shut and your head slumped over?"

"There's no law against that." The man was defensive. "And I'm a police offer, so I know that's true."

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Martin held up three.

"What's it to you?"

"I'm a doctor."

The man looked interested. He rolled down the window. "Really. So you work round here?"

"Yeah, I'm the GP."

"So you know who's ill, who's faking, who's been stabbed or shot?"

What an odd question, Martin thought. "Yes. People come to me if they've been injured."

"Then I think we should have a talk."

"Of course we should have a talk." Martin was beginning to wonder about the man's mental state. "I just found you unconscious at the wheel of your police car. Come and see me today."

"Well, I'm not sure…"

"This afternoon," Martin insisted.

When he returned to the surgery, Pauline was in the kitchen and there was only one patient waiting in reception. It was the pale, anxious-looking young woman Martin had seen the day before at Wenn Hall. She was dressed in a plain but well tailored beige dress, but her shoulder-length hair was a slightly garish blonde at the ends, with a duller, more natural light brown hue growing out, and the fringe fell into her eyes, as if overdue for a trim. Her appearance gave the impression of an awkward girl who had not yet adjusted to her new role as the wife of a wealthy, older man.

She followed him into the office and introduced herself, saying "I'm new in the village and I thought I should register at the surgery."

Martin sat at his desk, took out the proper form, dated it, and wrote down her name.

"Everyone remarks on what an unusual and lovely name my parents gave me," she said expectantly. Martin grunted, intent on the form. "I'm impressed that you spelled it correctly," she added.

"Loveday Wenn. Seems straightforward enough," he replied.

"Yeah, I was born on Valentine's Day," she said, smiling. When that got no reaction from him, she added, "I was, um, wondering if the lab results have come back for my husband. I'm worried about him."

"Has there been any change in his condition?"

"No. Actually he's really improved since you saw him. He's, like, almost back to his old self."

"The lab results won't be back for several days," Martin said. "Why exactly are you concerned?"

"Well, Bobby the dog for one thing," she said. "It's strange that he just suddenly died at the same time my husband starting feeling rough. And it's, uh, the housekeeper. Mrs. Daniels. It's like she hates me. They say she was obsessed with my predecessor. You know, the first Mrs. Wenn."

"The one who perished in the boating accident last year."

"Yeah, that's her. Rachel. Mrs. Daniels is always talking about how beautiful and brilliant and talented Rachel was, how well she ran the estate." Mrs. Wenn took on a sing-song tone to imitate the dreadful housekeeper, and then rolled her eyes. "I'm guess I'm not exactly filling her shoes yet. Mrs. Daniels is constantly reminding me of that. She's like a bully, you know? I wish Michael would just get rid of her but she's like this old family servant that's been with them for years and of course he isn't intimidated by her at all."

Bit melodramatic, Martin thought. He was annoyed that this young woman was wasting his time but she did seem rather sad and confused. He found himself pitying her.

"The housekeeper does seem odd, but you mustn't let her get to you," he said. "You have to stand up to people like that. In any case, the, er… dog was old, and I understand you and your husband recently returned from abroad."

"Yeah, that's right. We met in London last spring and we got married a few weeks later. What you call a whirlwind romance. I know people are talking about me behind my back, calling me a gold digger and such, but you have to understand Dr. Ellingham, I really love him and I think, I hope, he feels the same about me."

Martin was uncomfortable about her sharing her personal life so he moved the subject back on track. "Yes, but you travelled for several months I understand," he said.

"We went all around Europe and even into Turkey and Egypt. Before we met he was in South America for a bit. You see, he just needed a change after Rachel died."

"Mm, that could easily explain his abdominal pains. People often pick up parasites whilst visiting underdeveloped countries for an extended period. The lab results will show if there's anything seriously amiss. I'll call you as soon as they come in. In the meantime Mrs. Wenn," he stood up to signal the interview was at an end, "why don't you fill out the form out there and hand it to my receptionist when you're done."

To be continued…